Malice of the Malavice
by Diego Varen
Summary: Time always catches up with the Doctor and his companions in the end. When the mysterious Malavice race claim that they've been waiting to sacrifice someone for ages, which of the three time travellers will be used for the official ritual? TToaTL 1.5
1. Prologue: Unsatisfied Hunger

* * *

**Doctor** **Who**

**Malice of the Malavice**

* * *

**_Prologue_**

_Unsatisfied Hunger_

In the darkest chambers, a lone figure stood alone, unwilling to be disturbed by any of his people. The figure was the leader of a group called the Malavice. The Malavice were unsociable creatures and they longed for anyone to sacrifice themselves for their own benefit, whether they intended to or not.

The Malavice leader, Prike, had been growing restless recently, due to his unsatisfied hunger, if you could call it that. There hadn't been an official sacrifice for days and due to his species' desperation for sacrifice and food, the Malavice leader had been forced to allow the sacrifice of his own people, to make up for their lack of victims.

Of course, Prike didn't choose anyone to be sacrificed. What he did was far more sadistic, but it was entertaining for him and the rest of his people. He picked the two weakest members of the Malavice species and allowed them to fight, until one of the competitors was weak enough to give in. Then, the Malavice would allow an official sacrifice to continue, the losing competitor being sacrificed and being eaten afterwards.

But Prike realised how tasteless, his own species were. Plus, it was cannibalism and Prike didn't want people to look back at his time as a Malavice leader and to be known as the leader who allowed his own species to eat their own people.

No, there had to be fresh meat out in the Universe somewhere. Otherwise, what else could Prike do? State that he and his people were in a state of famine, where duels would take place to determine who would be eaten next? He didn't think so.

So, as always, Prike prayed to the Malavice God, known as Vimelaa, seeking for an answer to his dilemma.

"My lord," Prike began, clapping his hands together and this time, he was begging for help, "Our people need food, good, tasty food. We're in a state of famine and only you can decide whether we live or die. Would you allow your own people to die, after being known as the best predators across the Universe?"

The prayer ended there. Prike opened his eyes and sighed. He had severe doubts, as to whether the Malavice God would save them, but it was worth a try. Once, long ago, there had been a similar case, where the Malavice were short of food and they had to discover the art of space travel, in order to find their food. But this was different. Space travel had ended for the Malavice long ago, when their horrific acts of sacrifice had been discovered and their only means of transportation across the stars to find their prey had ended.

"One day," Prike muttered under his breath, "One day, there will be a proper sacrifice and when that time comes, I'll make sure that the opportunity doesn't pass me by."

* * *

The sacrifice chambers still smelt of a recently deceased Malavice. The last member of the Malavice species had recently been sacrificed and it was as dull and predictable as the last time that someone from that species had been sacrificed.

The executioner, Fallan, decided that he didn't want to think about the next person to be sacrificed. Because the Malavice people could survive for a week, before falling to the point of starvation, Fallan, as well as the rest of the Malavice people had to wait half a week or so, before finding out the plans for official sacrifice. But, the suspense of finding out who was next on the sacrificial timetable, wasn't as good as it used to be. Due to how every recent sacrifice had been on one member of the Malavice, Fallan realised there was no point of waiting with excitement, to find out who was next.

Returning his bloodied-up equipment to the nearest shelves, Fallan decided to leave the sacrifice room and he prepared to wait, for the upcoming week, where the next victim, Malavice or otherwise, would be revealed.

* * *

"Where are we off to, Doctor?"

It was a quiet day in the TARDIS. The Doctor had been busy; working on the centre console of the TARDIS, hoping to prevent the next malfunction, while his companion, Captain Jack Harkness busied himself, trying to help the Doctor out.

Looking up from the centre console, the Doctor noticed his other companion, Eilidh Brown who looked as bored as the Doctor felt.

"Well as soon as Jack and I have finished here," the Doctor began, taking a small piece of wire from Jack's outstretched hand, "I was thinking of taking us to somewhere more sophisticated, somewhere pleasant and somewhere, where the evil enemies can't get to us."

Jack's eyes rolled at this. Eilidh couldn't help but laugh, but she managed to hold the temptation to laugh in, as she could imagine Jack's response.

"Doctor, please don't say the following," Jack began, miming the look of reading off a checklist, "Blackpool, London, Cardiff or the Eye of Orion."

The Doctor thought for a moment, clicking his tongue.

"How about the Vulgar End of Time?" he asked, before adding quickly to his companions, "Don't worry, it does sound a lot better than you think it does. Except that time when…"

But Eilidh didn't listen. Blackpool would be a nice break from travelling across the Universe and the Eye of Orion did sound intriguing after all, but if the Doctor had decided that somewhere that was sophisticated, pleasant and prone to alien invaders, were places like London or Cardiff, Eilidh didn't want to know.

"Now come on," the Doctor continued, "Do you really think I'm that boring? I'm going to take you somewhere, that even I've never been before."

"Where?" Eilidh and Jack asked with excitement.

The two of them held their breath, as the Doctor thought for a moment.

"Well I don't yet, because I've never been there before," the Doctor told, "But the old TARDIS console is saying that our next destination is the planet, Mala, in the far future, where space travel is very common amongst humans."

"Do you think they'll be any humans on Mala?" Eilidh asked.

Jack laughed.

"Come off it," he replied, "Of course they'll be humans on Mala. If the Doctor is talking about the fifty-first century, then humans will have pollinated everywhere."

The Doctor clicked his finger at this response.

"By his time, it's what you humans all set out to do," he explained, "To pollinate."

Eilidh struggled not to laugh, once more. The TARDIS landed with a small bump.

"Well, come on then," the Doctor told them, clapping his hands with excitement, "Let's move."

But the sight that greeted the three of them wasn't pretty. Once outside the TARDIS, three of the strangest creatures that Eilidh had ever seen stood in front of them. The creatures carried long weapons, which shone in the darkness. The weapons reminded Eilidh of very long carving knives.

"Ah," the Doctor began, twiddling his thumbs, "When I said somewhere sophisticated, I didn't mean this."

While Eilidh and Jack couldn't help raise a smile, the three creatures that greeted them, looked at them with the utmost disgust.

**Note:** Eilidh Brown is an original character created by Simon Barnes.


	2. Chapter One: Malavice Interrogation

* * *

**Doctor** **Who**

**Malice of the Malavice**

* * *

**_Chapter One_**

_Malavice Interrogation_

The three time travellers looked at the three creatures, as they raised their long weapons dangerously close to their chins.

Eilidh quickly removed her smile from the creature's view, as she was aware that something was wrong. She struggled to keep still, because of the fear that if she moved, it would only require one single slice of her head, for her to be silenced. These creatures didn't seem too frightened to make an execution, right here and now.

She hoped that the Doctor or even Jack would soon find a solution to get away from the creatures, for she knew that she wouldn't be much use in plotting an escape.

"Who are you?" one of the creatures growled, as he held his own weapon even closer to the Doctor's chin.

Eilidh had a suspicion that the creature that had spoken was the leader.

"Sorry, but would it be too rude to ask who you are?" the Doctor asked back.

The creature didn't reply, but he raised his weapon even closer to the Doctor's chin and if he raised it any more, the Doctor would receive a terrible scratch at least.

"Obviously not," the Doctor replied, trying to be light hearted about the entire situation, much to Eilidh and Jack's dismay.

"I'm asking the creatures here, not you!" the creature spat, growling once more, before continuing, "But I will answer your question to satisfy you, puny creature."

Eilidh was tempted to laugh at this false accusation, but she held the temptation, as she didn't want to risk her life or the two men that she travelled with.

"I'm Fallan," the creature continued, "Executioner of the Malavice."

"Great title," Jack told him, speaking for the first time, "But you're going to have a hard time executing me."

Eilidh sighed out loud at Jack's light-hearted comment and the Doctor too, shared the same disappointment and the two of them looked at him with disgust. Trying to make up for his mistake, Jack winked at the two of them, but neither Eilidh nor the Doctor returned it, nor did they appreciate it.

The Malavice executioner hadn't seemed to hear Jack's last light-hearted line and he nodded to his two servants to take them away. None of the time travellers struggled to resist their grasps, but Eilidh didn't look forward to what was about to come and judging by the dismayed looks on the Doctor's and Jack's faces, neither did they.

"When we reach our next location," Fallan began, "The interrogation will begin then."

* * *

Prike sat alone, in his dark chamber. Would his faith in Vimelaa, bring him and his people the food that they deserved? After all, Prike had asked nicely after all and being nice wasn't a speciality that he often had.

On his chamber door, Prike could hear knocking. He waited for a moment, before deciding to answer to the continued knocking, although he didn't want to open the door just yet.

"What is it?" he asked, "I don't want to be disturbed."

As the knocking ceased, the knocker answered.

"Lord Prike," a familiar voice answered, "It's me sir, Fallan, local executioner of the…"

"Yes, Fallan, I know who you are," Prike replied, "Now what do you want? If you've miraculously found food, than good for…"

"That's exactly why I'm here sir," Fallan interrupted, "Just now, along with two other Malavice members, we've found three strangers and by the looks of them, humanoid."

Prike seriously hoped that this wasn't some sick joke, as he opened the doors to a large crew outside. Fallan walked inside and following him were the other two Malavice members, along with fresh meat, the humanoids, as Prike had heard.

"Thank you, Vimelaa," Prike replied, clapping his hands, before returning his gaze on the strangers.

He had a feeling that one of them wasn't what they seemed. One of them seemed far from being a humanoid, but that didn't matter to Prike. Just as long as he and his people had food, that was good enough.

"Well done, Fallan," Prike told him, smiling at their future food, "Take these people down to the interrogation chambers for questioning."

As Fallan and the other two Malavice members dragged them away, Prike had a strange feeling that none of them tried to fight for their lives. Maybe they had expected this sort of treatment.

* * *

Down in the cells below, it was even darker than it was outside or inside the strange place. Eilidh didn't seem particularly pleased with the abode that greeted her.

The cells that she, the Doctor and Jack were thrown in were small, desolate and very uncomfortable, which Eilidh took to notice immediately, as they were forced to sit on the decaying benches.

"You shall remain here," Fallan told them, "Until Lord Prike decides to deal with you and trust me, he'll do a much better job of interrogation than I'll ever do."

So with those words, Fallan locked the three of them inside the cell, leaving them alone in the darkness.

"Don't hurry back!" Jack called out after them, "I've had worse treatment!"

"And bring us a cup of tea or something please!" the Doctor added, "We're rather thirsty after all, what with the hectic lives we have and everything."

The Doctor, Eilidh and Jack waited together, each struggling to fit on the ridiculously small sized bench that they were sitting on.

"Can't you use your sonic screwdriver?" Jack asked, "You know, get us out of here?"

The Doctor's eyes glowed at this. Eilidh remembered that none of their equipment had been taken away from them and the Doctor still had his miraculous tools with him.

Quickly whipping out his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor immediately flicked the switch and held his tool to the bars. Nothing happened. The Doctor tried again. Still nothing happened.

"Doesn't work," the Doctor told them, stating the obvious, "So why don't we do it the old fashioned way, eh?"

"And what's that?" Jack asked.

"Wait for our fate," the Doctor told him, gloomily.


	3. Chapter Two: Impending Sacrifice

* * *

**Doctor** **Who**

**Malice of the Malavice**

* * *

_**Chapter Two**_

_Impending Sacrifice_

"We can't just wait for our fate!" Eilidh shouted, as she took the Doctor's answer to Jack's question badly, "We need to escape, find a way out of here!"

"Would you keep your voice down?" the Doctor asked, "Who knows who could be listening."

Eilidh noticed that Jack had wisely decided to keep out of the conversation, as he tried to make himself comfortable on the rough bench. She realised that anyone could be listening, but at the moment, she didn't care. All she wanted was to get out of the cell and return to the TARDIS. Anything was better than the cell she was currently residing in.

"Sorry, Doctor," Eilidh whispered, not too eager to give an apology, "But why is it everywhere we go, something bad happens to us?"

"No idea," the Doctor told her, "But what's better than the trouble of time travel coming with us?"

"The trouble of time travel not coming with us?" Eilidh asked sarcastically.

Nobody said anything else after that. Eilidh decided to wait for someone else to speak, while the Doctor lay back on the bars and Jack remained silent.

As the three of them awaited the return of the Malavice, Eilidh clicked her fingers, as a sudden thought entered her head.

"I've got it," she told the Doctor and Jack eagerly, "I've got a plan."

"What plan?" Jack asked, his tone of voice noting that he didn't really care about what she had to say.

Eilidh cleared her throat.

"Well I'm an experienced actress right?" she began eagerly, "So what if…"

* * *

Fallan returned back to Lord Prike's chambers, eager to oversee the upcoming Malavice interrogation and the impending sacrifice. The sooner they both were, the better.

"Lord Prike," Fallan began, as the Malavice leader turned around to see him, "I don't wish to be rude, but are you ready for the interrogation yet?"

Fallan watched as Prike considered him for a moment, pondering to himself, before he finally gave his answer.

"Patience is a virtue, Fallan," Prike informed him, "Impatience, however is not. Why do you want to wish your life away?"

"No sir," Fallan answered immediately, "I just think that the Malavice people shouldn't be kept waiting. We've waited a long time for this."

"You're right," Prike told him, "We have waited too long for this opportunity to arise. But we must use our victims wisely. They could be the only three victims from the outside that we have for a long time. We shall sacrifice one a night. Come, let us interrogate them and decide which one to sacrifice first."

Prike walked out of the chamber, with Fallan excited at the prospect of overseeing his lord interrogate the victims that he had found.

* * *

Eilidh felt cold, as she lay on the hard and dirty floor. She hoped the Malavice would return soon, because she didn't know if she could stand another few minutes on the icy floor.

As luck would have it, the doors opened and Eilidh could see two Malavice approaching their cell. Eilidh immediately pretended to be ill and she sighed out loud, as the Doctor and Jack comforted her.

"What is the matter with her?" the Malavice that Eilidh recognised as Prike asked.

"Does this count as part of the interrogation?" Jack asked cheekily, as he held Eilidh's head close to his chest.

"No!" Fallan spat, as he opened the cell doors and he and Prike entered, "Now answer the question.

"She's claustrophobic," the Doctor told the Malavice, "She needs to be in an open space, to calm down a little bit. Would that be alright?"

The two Malavice looked at each other, before looking at Eilidh. She struggled to keep her face straight, because she was acting after all. After what seemed like an age, the two Malavice looked away from her to the Doctor.

"We shall allow her this rare opportunity to leave the cells," Prike answered.

"But it won't be for long," Fallan added, "So she better get her breath back quick and we won't allow this again."

The Doctor gave them a nod of gratitude, as he and Jack lifted Eilidh up and the two Malavice grabbed her arms. Eilidh continued to act, as she allowed herself to be dragged out of the cell.

"Right now!" Jack shouted.

And before the two Malavice could say anything or even look to see who had shouted, the Doctor and Jack had run towards them and had pushed the Malavice over. Eilidh quickly snapped out of her acting and she ran alongside the two men, as the Malavice called for a state of emergency, cursing as they left.

Eilidh didn't even think of stopping to catch her breath. She wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible and she didn't want to prevent the escape, which she had amazingly come up with.

But their success was short lived, as more Malavice surrounded them around the next corner. Eilidh looked around, but she, the Doctor and Jack had been cornered, cut off from any possible escape. Behind them, Eilidh noticed Prike and Fallan approaching them and she noted a sense of amusement from them both, as they both struggled to keep their faces straight.

"Very original and very resourceful," Fallan told them, as the Malavice clutched onto Eilidh and the other two, "Nobody in the history of the Malavice have ever attempted to escape. You should be congratulated in that respect."

"Do we get a medal?" Jack asked hopefully.

"Silence!" Prike snapped, "You may think that we're amused, but we're not. You've played us and you're testing our patience. Do you realise the struggle we went through to find you, capture you?"

Eilidh decided not to answer their question and by the looks of it, neither did the Doctor or Jack.

"We're a hungry race," Prike told them, "We live only to sacrifice others for our survival."

"So you sacrifice and eat people?" Eilidh asked, speaking for the first time, since she had come up with the escape plan.

"Eat is such a harsh word," Prike told her, "But yes, you could say that we eat people. Anyone or anything, which takes our fancy."

Eilidh gulped. She didn't like the sound of this one bit.

"Had you not tried to escape, we would've just interrogated you and waited to sacrifice you in the morning," Prike continued, "But since your little failed escape, I've decided to give my people the food they deserve."

The other Malavice, including Fallan increased their grips on the three of them. Eilidh noted the look of extreme disappointment on the Doctor's face and the anger on Jack's.

"Take them away," Prike told Fallan, "We shall make them suffer."


	4. Chapter Three: Who's First?

* * *

**Doctor** **Who**

**Malice of the Malavice**

* * *

_**Chapter Three**_

_Who's First?_

The Malavice forced, or rather threw the three humanoids into the one-person cells that would then be taken to the sacrifice.

Prike was pleased, or rather pleased with himself. The cells that his captives were in were even smaller than the cell they had originally been in. If the woman was really claustrophobic (for he had his doubts), than she would suffer even more.

The cells were soon stored inside a rather large carriage that several Malavice would then take and carry to the sacrificial chambers. One by one, the cells were stored inside the carriage and as soon as they were, the large doors were shut and locked. No chance of escape.

Fallan approached Prike and he too, shared Prike's excitement.

"They'll be ours soon, won't they?" Fallan asked, struggling to keep his face straight at the sign of fresh flesh.

"Of course they will," Prike told him, "You've done well Fallan and soon, we Malavice will be eating our way to pleasure and perfection. Just be sure to make each sacrifice worth it."

Fallan bowed to him and walked off towards the Malavice that lingered around.

"Okay everyone!" he shouted, "It's time to take this carriage to the sacrificial chambers. The sooner and the faster you carry it, the sooner and the faster we can enjoy our well-deserved meal."

None of the Malavice even bothered to resist their current order. Each one quickly made their way to the carriage and picked it up, struggling, but eager to move it. Fallan smiled, as he returned his gaze to Prike and the Malavice who carried the carriage walked off.

"Soon, my lord, soon," Prike could hear him mention, as they followed the carriage.

* * *

It was dark, inside the carriage and things had gone from bad to worse, as the three time travellers found themselves in a cell, even worse than the one they had originally been in and it smelt a lot worse.

Like the Doctor and Jack, Eilidh had decided to try and remain calm about the whole situation. She wasn't claustrophobic, but the cell that she was currently in, tested her for at this moment in time, she couldn't even move, or if she did, she would receive a scratch from the blunt bars that surrounded her.

"Doctor, what are we going to do?" she asked, as she struggled to sit down.

"Yeah Doctor, I mean can't you use your sonic screwdriver," Jack suggested, "I bet that these bars aren't as tough as the ones in the previous cell."

Eilidh suddenly realised that the Malavice hadn't even bothered to take their equipment from them again. What sort of people would take others hostage, without taking anything from them? But Eilidh had a feeling that she knew what to expect, as the Doctor sighed and gave Jack his answer.

"Even if my sonic screwdriver works, I won't use it," he told him, "We can't risk making another escape."

Eilidh had expected as much, but she had hoped the Doctor would at least get them out of the cells and into a more open space, inside the carriage. But if she asked about that, wouldn't the Doctor tell her that the Malavice would become paranoid?

"If the Malavice are wise, they won't waste us too quickly," the Doctor told them, "They'll want to eat us, one by one, so assuming that this is the case, we need to decide which one of us should be sacrificed first and which two people will need to rescue the person who will be sacrificed."

"How about Eilidh," Jack immediately suggested.

Eilidh was shocked. This wasn't the first time Jack had suggested that she be sacrificed and it probably wouldn't be the last time.

"You want to kill me off, again?" she asked angrily, as she stood up once more, uncaring of the scratches that she had just received.

"No sister, think about it," Jack told her, just as angrily.

So Eilidh thought about it, but what was so special about her being sacrificed first? Luckily, the Doctor had the answer as always.

"I see!" he exclaimed, a little too loudly, "Eilidh is the most normal out of us!"

"I suppose I should take that as a compliment," she muttered, loud enough so the two men could hear her.

But the Doctor ignored her as he continued.

"I'm a Time Lord right and both of you know that I can regenerate," the Doctor continued at rapid speed, "After all Eilidh, you met me, well an earlier me, who eventually regenerated into me."

Eilidh was tempted to tell the Doctor to shut up, but she listened eagerly, just to see what he would say.

"And Jack is immortal, so if either of us get sacrificed first, the Malavice will know that I'm a Time Lord and they'll think that Jack is associated with witchcraft or something."

It all made sense. Eilidh was now aware that she would be sacrificed first, as she would be the only one to die properly.

"But what if you fail to save me?" Eilidh asked, "After all, I don't want to die and become tinned food for these Malavice creatures."

"Don't worry," the Doctor told her, "Jack and I will make sure we save you in due time, just as long as we distract the Malavice long enough for you to be safe."

There was a small silence. Eilidh's gut feeling in her stomach had now vanished and she was okay again. The Doctor's plan seemed to work, but what if the Malavice decided to execute them all at the same time? What would happen then?

"Hold on," Jack began, breaking the silence, "Why would you be processed as tinned food? They'll pretty much eat us raw, won't they?"

The Doctor and Eilidh sighed, but Eilidh thought that Jack had a point. The Malavice seemed like the type of creatures that ate anything, whether it was raw, fresh, old or new.

* * *

"Should we check on our victims, my lord?" Fallan asked, as the carriage was finally placed on the ground, near the sacrificial chambers, "To make sure that they're pure?"

Prike didn't even need to think of an answer.

"Yes," he told him, "Plus, we can offer them the opportunity of which one wants to die first."

So the two Malavice opened the carriage doors and entered inside.

* * *

The moment when the carriage had stopped couldn't be soon enough. Eilidh was getting more and more nervous with each passing moment and she couldn't wait to get out of the cell she was currently, since anything would be better than sitting in a cramped cell, whether it be death or not.

As the carriage doors opened, a vast amount of light entered it, blinding her vision, but not for long. The two Malavice approached them, and they waited by the cells, staring at each of them.

"Since we're low on food," Prike began, "Fallan and I have decided to sacrifice one person a day, to keep our food levels stable. So, who's first?"

The Doctor and Jack turned their heads towards Eilidh, hoping that she'd go through with the plan. Eilidh wasn't too stupid however and went along with it.

"I am," she told them.

Fallan smiled and clapped his hands, as he opened the cell door. Eilidh greeted her freedom with open arms, but she wasn't free for long, as Fallan restrained her.

"Take her to the sacrificial room," Prike told Fallan, "And bring these two gentlemen with us, for they should see what's going to happen to them soon."

So Fallan opened their cells too, with yet more Malavice restraining both the Doctor and Jack from any potential escape.

"We shall truly make them suffer," Prike warned Fallan, "You better make sure this sacrifice is worth it."


	5. Chapter Four: Sacrificial Problems

* * *

**Doctor** **Who**

**Malice of the Malavice**

* * *

_**Chapter Four**_

_Sacrificial Problems_

Eilidh allowed herself to be dragged towards the sacrificial chambers, as decided to remain more quiet and reserved than usual.

Looking over towards the Doctor and Jack, they must've felt the same feelings too.

The Doctor wasn't behaving the way that he normally would. Instead, there was no expression on his face and he didn't bounce around excitedly like he normally did. Well, who would at the prospect of watching a friend die and then realise that you'd be next?

Jack too, wasn't behaving the way that he did traditionally. He too, had no expression on his face and he wasn't trying to chat up anyone around, whether it was male, female, human or not. It was times like this, when Jack was serious, but underneath, was he still the lovable rogue, trying to resist the temptation of being cheesy?

In a strange way, Eilidh didn't fear death at this moment, however she was currently preoccupied with her current thought, one that would plague her until her death. What would her friends or relatives back home think?

* * *

Prike and Fallan walked on behind the three victims. Each of them was becoming even more excited at the prospect of receiving fresh meat for once and they were both certain that the other Malavice would be too.

"Fallan," Prike began, whispering to his loyal executioner, "Run along and set up the execution would you? I want all this to be as perfect as possible."

"Of course, my lord," Fallan obeyed.

And without another word, Fallan ran off towards the sacrificial chambers, eager to get started on choosing his equipment of choice. Prike smiled, as he left, for he too was keen on announcing to the Malavice population that the famine wouldn't occur for a good while yet.

* * *

No sooner than Fallan had left his lord's side that he was soon back in his familiar territory, the room where he prepared his equipment for upcoming sacrifices. The old stench of dead Malavice would soon be removed, as a new smell of death would replace it in time.

With the refusal of being interrupted by anyone, Fallan immediately began to work. He began to clean the blood stained equipment and as he did so, he refused to be pleased with his cleaning skills, until he was satisfied that each piece sparkled in the darkness. One by one, piece-by-piece, each piece of equipment was cleaned and each placed on a nearby open bag, which would contain every single piece needed for the official sacrifice.

As soon as he was finished, Fallan made sure to tie the bag tightly, before leaving his preparation room. He didn't want to make a single mistake for this sacrifice.

* * *

Eilidh wasn't sure what to expect when the sacrificial chambers was in sight. She had expected a bloodied up, dark and empty room. Instead, a clean, bright and packed room greeted her and the floor reminded her of a dartboard, except the colours were red and white.

A thunder of applause from the excited Malavice population, welcomed the Doctor, Eilidh and Jack, as the Malavice guards shoved them towards the sacrificial chambers, where they were in sight of the Malavice people. Eilidh didn't particularly like it, but she didn't want to look downhearted about her upcoming death.

The Malavice guards forced the Doctor and Jack to stay behind with the audience, while Eilidh was pushed towards the middle of the chamber, where a single pole stood in the ground. Eilidh was tied to this pole and she was alone, with the hungry eyes of the Malavice people, staring at her.

There was a hushed silence from the crowd, as Fallan reappeared. He was carrying a bag and Eilidh immediately thought of a badly prepared worker for a building sight, but she wasn't aware of the contents that were in that bag. Nobody, except Fallan, knew what was in there.

* * *

Prike took his place on the nearby stand, above the sacrificial chamber. He looked around, staring at the future victims, the current victim in the middle of the room and of course, the entire Malavice population, before he began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Malavice of all ages!" Prike announced, as the audience turned their gaze from the middle of the room towards him, "I bring you tonight, new blood on our planet. From the bitter taste of our people, we have now received extraterrestrials that we've so elegantly been waiting for. And of course, we should thank Vimelaa for this."

"Thank you, lord Vimelaa!" the entire audience replied.

"Yes, lord Vimelaa, you truly deserve our gratitude," Prike continued, "And thanks to his generosity, we have three victims. Unfortunately, due to how dangerous these three are, we'll be sacrificing each of them a night and saving their meat until the time we need it. Don't worry, you'll be pleased to know that our executioner will keep the meat warm and tender."

The audience laughed at this, but Prike silenced them, by making a flapping movement with his arms.

"So, let us now watch this official sacrifice and enjoy each passing moment!" Prike announced, ending his speech, to more applause.

* * *

Eilidh tried not to show her fear, as she watched Fallan, preparing to make sure that he was doing everything perfectly. _What a pathetic perfectionist_, Eilidh thought to herself bitterly, as she expected the worst, _pathetic. Whatever he does isn't going to please him, no matter how good or bad he does it._

"It is time," Fallan began, holding the blade still, close to Eilidh's neck, "For the official sacrifice. On behalf of the Malavice people, our lord, Prike and of course, Vimelaa, this sacrifice shall benefit all of the Malavice people in this desperate time of famine and give us all the food that we deserve."

Fallan swung his arm backwards, preparing to swing at Eilidh's head. Eilidh immediately shut her eyes, as she couldn't bear to see her head immediately sliced off her body. Something however had stopped Fallan from continuing the execution.


	6. Epilogue: The Escape

* * *

**Doctor** **Who**

**Malice of the Malavice**

* * *

_**Epilogue**_

_The Escape_

Eilidh was breathing very fast, as she nervously waited for death to take over, but she didn't feel anything. There was a long silence and at first, Eilidh wondered if she had really died, but death couldn't have been this quiet and it couldn't feel like being alive. She had to do it; she had to know what had happened.

Eilidh slowly opened her eyes, dreading to see what was in front of her. Sure enough, she was still in the sacrificial room, with a large audience full of Malavice and Fallan in front of her. At the thought of not being dead yet, Eilidh would've sighed with relief, had the situation been less serious, but there was something strange about all of this.

Why was Fallan shaking uncontrollably? Eilidh would've laughed at this, but the state of affairs was still quite serious. She had believed Fallan to be a fearless executioner, who would feel no remorse at ending another person's life, so why was he just standing there, unwilling to kill? And then, she realised that the Doctor's first part of the plan had worked.

Eilidh turned her head to see the Doctor standing there, sonic screwdriver in hand, with Jack behind him. How could she have been so stupid? The Malavice never bothered to take any of their equipment and this wasn't an exception.

"What in Quintrix is this?" Fallan demanded, shaking even more now.

Quintrix? Who or what was that? Eilidh had heard that name a few times before and she wondered what it had to do with anything, but she knew that she couldn't dwell on this, due to the circumstances that she was currently in.

"Leave our friend alone," the Doctor muttered, loud enough for the entire Malavice population to hear.

And before these four words could sink into the Malavice's brains, the Doctor immediately aimed his sonic screwdriver at Eilidh's wrists, which were still currently tied to the pole. Her hands soon felt free again, as the rope that once held them became lose and dropped to the floor.

"Come on!" Jack yelled, as the Doctor returned the sonic screwdriver to his pocket, "We need to get out of here!"

Eilidh didn't need to think twice. She ran away from the middle of the sacrificial room, towards the audience stands where the Doctor and Jack were waiting. The time for escaping couldn't have come soon enough and Eilidh was grateful for it.

* * *

Prike was alarmed at the sight of what greeted him. His best executioner was having a panic attack, his people were panicking at the sight of losing their future meal and having to continue their lives in a state of famine and Prike would have an embarrassing moment in his career of Malavice lord.

"Stay calm everybody!" Prike bellowed over the panic stricken stadium, "Please, stay calm. Fallan, get them, before they escape!"

Fallan didn't need to hear his order again and by the looks of things, neither did anyone else. Before Fallan could even move, every single Malavice broke free from the audience stands and ran riot across the sacrificial chambers, towards the exit where the three victims had escaped. Fallan of course, was trapped in the stampede of chaos and he had to wait several seconds, before following them out. Prike decided not to linger too, as he too left the sacrificial chambers.

* * *

"Will the Malavice be after us?" Eilidh asked, as they all turned around another corner.

Jack would've rolled his eyes at this stupid question, but what with running away from a probable angry mob of hungry creatures, there wasn't the time and this wasn't the place to look good.

"I suspect so!" the Doctor shouted, as he suddenly skidded to a halt.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" Jack asked, "We can't stop now."

"I know," the Doctor panted, trying to catch his breath, "I need to remember where I landed the TARDIS."

"But you always remember the location of the TARDIS," Eilidh told him, as she too tried to catch her breath.

"Yeah I know," the Doctor replied, a bit more annoyed now, "But I didn't exactly get a chance to look around our landing spot, did I?"

Gunfire suddenly occurred. The Doctor and Eilidh jumped at this, but Jack remained ever heroic, for after all, he was carrying the weapon that made that sound.

"Jack, what are you doing?" the Doctor asked, a little bit dismayed at the use of firearms.

"Just go, Doctor!" Jack shouted, aiming his weapon at the rioting Malavice in front of him, "I'll hold them off, you and Eilidh run off and find the TARDIS."

"Come on, Eilidh," the Doctor whispered to her, "Jack knows what he's doing."

"But, I want to help…" Eilidh protested, but the Doctor soon put an end to her doubts, as Jack noticed.

"He can survive anything, now come on!"

So before Eilidh could argue against the Doctor's better judgement anymore, the Doctor dragged Eilidh off in the opposite direction and they had both ran off, beginning their search for the TARDIS.

For the first time, since their arrival on Mala, Jack was alone, against the entire Malavice race, each of them hoping to satisfy their unsatisfied hunger on him and his allies.

"Several hundred Malavice against me?" Jack asked them, as he allowed them all to run closer and closer to him, "Easy, you're all pushovers. I'd rather have a billion Daleks on my back."

Quickly and effectively, Jack shot at every single Malavice he could, but some of them soon stormed him and all he could feel, were the overgrown claws and sharp teeth, ripping into his flesh.

* * *

The Doctor and Eilidh stopped for the first time, since they had abandoned Jack. They had made it to the outside of the sacrificial building, but they didn't know where to start looking for the TARDIS first.

In the Doctor's opinion, Mala itself resembled a quarry, but it was such a large quarry-looking planet and the TARDIS could be anywhere. This wasn't the first time, he had been to a quarry look-alike planet, but he hoped it would certainly be the last.

"Come on, TARDIS, TARDIS, TARDIS," the Doctor muttered out aloud, "Where are you old girl? Eilidh, maybe you could suggest a solution."

But as the Doctor returned his gaze to Eilidh, she was sprinting off towards the sacrificial chambers that they had just run away from.

"Eilidh!" the Doctor shouted, "Where are you going?"

"To help Jack!" Eilidh shouted back, "It was wrong for us to leave him behind."

"But you'll be killed, Eilidh!" the Doctor continued to shout, "You're not immortal!"

"I know, but can immortality really be the only chance of trying to escape?" Eilidh asked back, "I need to distract the Malavice, allow Jack the chance to escape!"

And before the Doctor could even try to get to reconsider what she was doing, Eilidh continued to run off. The Doctor couldn't do anything now. He had to find the TARDIS, so he (and hopefully his companions) could escape Mala.

* * *

As Eilidh finally made it back to the place that she and the Doctor had left Jack, she realised that her theory was ludicrous. The Doctor had been right, when he had said that he could survive anything and Jack had proved it many times, but could he really cope with being eaten alive?

Eilidh was soon face to face with a large group of Malavice, attacking Jack. Despite his best methods of trying to escape, Jack was stuck in the middle of the angry mob.

"Jack!" Eilidh shouted out, aware that the Malavice could easily turn on her, "Jack! Give me your weapon!"

Jack understood. He slid the weapon across the floor and Eilidh immediately grabbed it and she picked it up. It looked a lot like a pistol. Eilidh wasn't good with weapons at all and she had no experience using them, but she needed to help Jack. She aimed it at the closest Malavice to her and she pulled the trigger.

Even though the loud gunshot echoed as it made its impact, the Malavice didn't turn to see what had made that sound. Eilidh wondered it they were desperate for food and even if they were, they weren't doing a very good job of trying to eat him.

Eilidh didn't stop though. She continued to pull the trigger, shooting each and every Malavice in sight. One by one, Malavice by Malavice, they each fell the floor, leaving only a small group of Malavice left. Jack managed to kick the remaining few off him and he crawled away, his clothes torn and his skin filled with scratches.

"Thanks sister," Jack told her, as he snatched his pistol back off her, "Let's get out of here."

"Stop them!" Fallan shouted.

"Make them suffer!" Prike added, "There will be no mercy!"

Eilidh and Jack didn't even bother to wait for a sign of vengeance from the Malavice. They turned around and ran away from the large mob.

* * *

The Doctor had finally found the TARDIS, after five or so minutes of searching. Upon entering, he found it as always, it waited patiently alone and the Doctor opened the doors, finding it in the same state it was, since he, Jack and Eilidh had left it.

Without a moment's rest, the Doctor began to do what he did best. He started to press random buttons and running around the centre console, getting the TARDIS to materialise near the location where Jack and Eilidh were. He couldn't afford to let his friends die now.

* * *

Jack, along with Eilidh continued to run, not daring to look back at who was behind them. They could tell that the Malavice were still hot on their trial and that they wouldn't stop, until they got their hands (or claws) on them. Jack wasn't worried about himself, but about Eilidh. She wasn't immortal and she'd be dead within minutes of Malavice trying to rip her apart. This was a strange feeling. Was he starting to like her? Or was it something else?

"Before you rescued me!" Jack called out, "Did you and the Doctor find the TARDIS?"

"No!" Eilidh called out, after him, as she struggled on behind, "The Doctor was looking for it, when I left him though!"

Before Jack could come up with a plan, the TARDIS was in front of him.

"Good old Doctor!" Jack bellowed happily, "Always there when you need him!"

And as Jack and Eilidh approached the faithful blue police box that they travelled in, the doors opened and the Doctor stood there.

"Quickly, move it!" he shouted.

Jack and Eilidh didn't stop and they put a lot of effort into running faster than their pursuers. Jack almost leapt towards the TARDIS, as he finally approached it, causing the Doctor to retreat back to his console. To help Eilidh into the TARDIS, Jack held out his hand for her, allowing her to grab it and be pulled into the safety of the TARDIS.

"Shut the doors will you?" the Doctor asked, "Otherwise we'll be eaten alive, or we'll be sucked out into space, if we escape."

Jack shut the doors and the Doctor began to materialise the TARDIS away from Mala. Their hunters would be ever so angry at their loss, but it didn't matter to Jack and it certainly wouldn't matter to the Doctor and Eilidh.

"You did well today, sister," Jack told Eilidh, as he still held her hand, as if fearing for her life, "And thanks for, you know."

"Saving me?" Eilidh asked cheekily, almost mocking his normal style of socialising, "No problem. You've saved my skin many times and…"

"Shut up, sister," Jack interrupted.

And the two of them stood there, silent for a moment. Jack wondered what was going to happen next? He had had this experience many times before and this certainly wouldn't be the last. As if the two of them were psychic, both of them leaned forward, their lips almost locking. It would've been the perfect romantic moment, but…

"Jack," the Doctor warned, aware of what he was doing.

Jack sighed and broke away; a bit disappointed that he didn't get to do what he wanted to do, but he obeyed the Doctor anyway, as he walked over to the Doctor's side.

* * *

"My lord, what do we do now?" Fallan asked.

Prike was unsure. His best victims had escaped and he had a feeling that he would never see them again. That strange teleportation thing which had disappeared, carrying the three victims with it, proved that somehow, one of them, maybe two, or even all three of them weren't humans, as he had originally thought.

"We sit and wait, as we always do," Prike answered, "And if the Gods are on our side, then Vimelaa, Quintrix and Cothdorte will swing things our way.

And with those words, Prike laughed uncontrollably, at the thought of a more positive future.

* * *

"So, where are we off too next?" Eilidh asked.

Jack was shocked. Had she just forgotten what they were about to do?

"Your choice," the Doctor told her, "I need new ideas, I seem to be travelling around the same places nowadays, like, like."

"Earth?" Eilidh suggested.

"Yeah I know, but Earth is a very nice place," the Doctor informed her, "It's my favourite planet in the entire cosmos and who can resist the temptation of visiting it?"

"What about your home?" Eilidh asked, "Your true home?"

Jack sensed that this question would cause controversy. Thankfully it didn't.

"It's complicated," the Doctor told her, sternly.

"So, where are we off to next?" Jack asked, returning the subject to the here and now.

"Wherever our destiny takes us," the Doctor told him, "How about the Eye of Orion?"

"No!" both Jack and Eilidh shouted at the same time.

"Only joking!" the Doctor shouted, as he restored peace and order into the TARDIS.

* * *

**The End**

* * *


End file.
